7 Fun Fall Reading Activities
Fall is the perfect season to cozy up with a good book. The crisp air, changing leaves, and shorter days create a cozy atmosphere that's ideal for reading.
Encouraging your children to develop a love of reading can set them up for a lifetime of enjoyment and learning. Seasonal activities are a great way to introduce new concepts, change up your child’s bookshelf, and re-energize your child’s interest in books.
Here are some fun, seasonal activities to help your kids fall in love with reading.
Book Hunts for Fall Treasures
One of the most exciting ways to get kids interested in reading is to turn it into a game. Read an autumnal book together. Then, ask your child to identify all the fall words in the book and write them down. On a family walk, find the fall-related items together. As they search, talk about the significance of the word to the story.
Read Alouds During Family Time
Reading together as a family is a wonderful way to bond and create lasting memories. It also can help your children develop their listening skills, vocabulary, and imagination. Choose books that are appropriate for your children's ages and interests, and ones that have a seasonal flair. Your kids might love reading about harvests, Halloween, or back-to-school themes. Find a time each week or every few days as your schedule allows and read as a group, like after dinner together. Your children will look forward to it as it becomes a natural part of your family’s routine.
Rhyming Games
Rhyming games are a great way to help kids improve their vocabulary and develop a sense of rhythm.
- Say fall-themed words like "fall," "leaf," "hay," "farm," and challenge your children to come up with words that rhyme.
- Read a rhyming book aloud and ask your children to identify the rhyming words on each page.
- Write down pairs or rhyming autumn words on a piece of paper and add one word to each pair that doesn’t rhyme. Place another piece of paper on top, so that you display one trio of words at a time. Ask your child, “which word doesn’t rhyme?”
Pumpkin Seeds and Science
After reading a book about pumpkins, have your child explore one with their hands! Pumpkin exploration is fun, but slimy, and good for sensory play.
Reading Spooky Recipes
Reading a recipe is still reading! Reading recipes together helps your child with reading comprehension and following directions.
Make these pumpkin hand pies, or these gourmet caramel apples. Encourage your child to read throughout the process – from reading the ingredients list to every step of the recipe.
Sensory Dough Storytime
Reading time doesn’t have to look perfect, so if your child is feeling fidgety, that’s okay! While fidget spinners have gotten a lot of attention lately, the premise is that allowing a child to move freely is actually helpful to their attention span.
Make this fall-scented play-dough for your child. Read a book aloud as they manipulate and play with the dough.
Drawing During Storytime
Combine reading with creativity by doing arts and crafts projects based on your child’s favorite fall books. As you read to your child, encourage them to draw what they’re hearing, helping them to visualize the characters and stories they are reading and make the books even more memorable.
By incorporating these fun autumn activities into your family's routine, you can help your children develop a lifelong love of reading. Books set in autumn Fall is a wonderful time to explore new books and discover the joy of storytelling.